By John Corrado Although I mainly write about movies, I’m a writer first and foremost, and much of my work is done with headphones on and music playing in the background. And because I spend so much time writing, I’m constantly listening to music, both old and new. These are my picks for the best… Read More The Best Albums of 2014
By Erin Corrado Alexandre Desplat’s music for The Imitation Game is a hauntingly beautiful piece of work that helps to elevate the film to one of the best of the year. Perfectly encapsulating the story and Benedict Cumberbatch’s performance as Alan Turing, Desplat’s quiet score features simple melodies expanded throughout on a variety of string… Read More Soundtrack Review: The Imitation Game
By Erin Corrado Released on iTunes last week, and coming to CD tomorrow, the soundtrack for How To Train Your Dragon 2 is a must buy for fans of both film music as well as the HTTYD films. The soundtrack opens with a rousing and joy filled re-imagining on the themes from the first film.… Read More Soundtrack Review: How To Train Your Dragon 2
At noon EST today, the International Film Music Critics Association (of which I am a member) announced the winners for musical scoring in 2013. Congrats to all the winners and here’s to another great year in film scoring! Taking home Score of the Year this year is Abel Korzeniowski for his classic score for Carlo… Read More Winners of the 10th Annual IFMCA Awards Announced Today!
Today at noon EST today, the International Film Music Critics Association (of which I am a member) announced its list of nominees for excellence in musical scoring in 2013. This year leading the pack with six nominations is composer Abel Korzeniowski (Romeo and Juliet, Escape From Tomorrow). Other composers nominated in multiple categories include Steven… Read More 10th Annual IFMCA Award Nominees Announced Today
By Erin V. Frozen tells the story of two sisters and princesses – the older Elsa who has the power to create ice and snow, and the younger Anna who does not. Anna has looked up to Elsa her whole life, and as children the two played together, laughing in the snow Elsa created while… Read More Soundtrack Review: Frozen
By John Corrado Released last Tuesday just a few days before Halloween, Kelly Clarkson’s latest album Wrapped in Red is the very definition of an early Christmas present. That is, a very early gift for the December holiday, that provides a welcome addition to any collection of seasonal music. I’ve found myself writing about several… Read More Kelly Clarkson’s “Wrapped in Red” is a Wonderful Early Christmas Gift
By John Corrado After blowing up the charts with her excellent first albums One of the Boys and the Grammy-nominated Teenage Dream, and becoming the subject of the surprisingly honest documentary Part of Me, Katy Perry is releasing her third studio album tomorrow, titled Prism. Although on the whole not quite as strong as her previous… Read More Thoughts on Katy Perry and “Prism”
By John Corrado After delivering a stunning musical comeback with The 20/20 Experience in March, Justin Timberlake has followed up that bestselling album with 2 of 2, a striking collection of songs that build upon the first set while bringing darker themes to the forefront. The reviews this time have been mixed, but I heard the… Read More Justin Timberlake Continues to Dominate with “The 20/20 Experience 2 of 2”
By Erin V. Right from the opening track I loved this score. The layers that composer Michael Giacchino is able to add, seamlessly weaving old and new themes with underlying elements really works. A prime example of his masterful use of mixing themes is track 3 ‘Sub Prime Directive’ – taking his themes for ’09’s… Read More Score Review: Star Trek Into Darkness
By John C. Last week, the musical duo of Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward released their latest collection of songs. Aptly titled She & Him: Volume 3, this is their fourth collaboration after the excellent A Very She & Him Christmas, and this latest set provides the perfect soundtrack for the summer in the same… Read More The Excellent “She & Him: Volume 3” Sounds Like Summer
By John C. Throughout the years, Justin Timberlake has proven himself to be a performer who is always capable of reinventing himself. The first of these comebacks came with the release of his debut album Justified back in 2002, proving himself as an accomplished solo act after gaining stardom as part of N’Sync. His second… Read More Justin Timberlake is in Full Command of “The 20/20 Experience”
By Erin V. With the 85th Academy Awards being announced tonight, I wanted to give my brief thoughts on two of the categories I’m always watching. Best Original Song and Best Original Score. Enjoy! _______________________________________________ The nominees for Best Original Score are: • Anna Karenina – Dario Marianelli • Argo – Alexandre Desplat •… Read More The 85th Academy Awards: A Look at the Song & Score Nominees
At noon EST today, the International Film Music Critics Association (of which I am a member) announced its winners for excellence in musical scoring in 2012. First let me say congratulations to all the winners and nominees – here’s to another year of outstanding music in film. Taking home Score of the Year is Canadian… Read More Winners of the 9th Annual IFMCA Award Announced Today!
At noon EST today, the International Film Music Critics Association (of which I am a member) announced its list of nominees for excellence in musical scoring in 2012. Leading the pack this year is not one but rather four composers – Mychael Danna, Alexandre Desplat, Fernando Velázquez and John Williams – with four nominations each. … Read More 9th Annual IFMCA Award Nominees Announced Today
By John C. Pretty much everyone who celebrates Christmas knows the feeling of decorating the tree on a Sunday afternoon with your favourite holiday songs playing in the background. Every year, one of my great joys of the season is discovering new Christmas albums to add to my personal playlist of holiday music. Last year,… Read More John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John Get Back Together for “This Christmas”
By Erin V. A compilation score and song soundtrack, the CD for Wreck-It Ralph opens with the Owl City song written for the film ‘When Can I See You Again.’ This song plays over the end credits, really fits the film, and is fun to listen to on its own as well. Next up is… Read More Soundtrack Review: Wreck-It Ralph
By Erin V. The song that opens the soundtrack, Still Dream, sung by Renée Fleming is not necessarily the sound you’d expect to play over the end credits before seeing the film, but it actually worked, and the lyrics are perfect for the film’s story. I’ve come to actually really love them. The melody as… Read More Soundtrack Review: Rise of the Guardians
By Erin V. The score CD starts with a version of the classic ‘When You Wish Upon a Star’ Disney logo, with a Frankenweenie twist. For those who’ve seen the film, they will recognize that this was played over the Frankenweenie style logo they used for the film. The music Danny Elfman has composed for… Read More Score/Soundtrack Review: Frankenweenie & Frankenweenie Unleashed
By Erin V. Often scores for the quiet dramas like Trouble With The Curve are the ones that need to be gotten right. They are best not too noticeable like those in an action movie, but rather perfectly underscoring quiet scenes between characters. The placement of music is also important and something that can only… Read More Soundtrack Review: Trouble With The Curve
The Joy of Movies 